<p>I go to a rigorous private school in NYC. Considered one of the best in the country. Think like the Andover/Exeter of NYC. Almost every in the school is very smart, and As aren't issued out easily. Very competitive. It is unheard of to get straight As. I look at acceptance threads everywhere and most of the people who post their stats come from run-of-the-mill public schools with GPAs greater than 4.0. Clearly this is not feasible at my school, as A+ don't exist and we don't weight or issue averages and assign class rank. Colleges know my school well, and I'm sure they take this into account.</p>
<p>But my question is to what extent? And conversion from top schools to ordinary suburban schools? Has anyone here gone to a school similar to mine and would like to share his/her experience?</p>
<p>I have two kids go through schools like yours, and maybe even yours in NYC and another at BS so I have the perspective. The “readers” for these schools are very familiar with the way the schools grade, their weed-out policies, etc. Although none of these schools rank, they send a graph to colleges that indicate where a particular student is, vis-a-vis their gpa and difficulty of classes.
So to your question - to a great extent. As a for instance - a college in the top 25 LAC list will take kids with a few C’s if they apply ED from one of the schools you mean, and will want an A-/B+ from a kid from better Westchester schools, also applying ED.</p>
<p>If your school places students into top colleges, I don’t think you need to worry. The most elite colleges’ admissions officers can distinguish between a top NYC prep and a Westchester school. </p>
<p>From your user name, I guess you’re not a senior yet. Don’t worry at the start of your high school career about gpa differences between public and private schools. When you are old enough to start thinking of colleges, Naviance may allow you to gauge at that time how your gpa and test scores compare to other applicants from your school.</p>
<p>The majority of competitive schools in NYC do not use Naviance. I assume the poster is going to be a sophomore, which is the exactly correct time to start thinking about college. I am wondering why the poster is asking since all that is usually explained to kids and parents starting in 9th grade. Perhaps they are starting the school in the fall.</p>
<p>To the OP-I’ve had 3 kids graduate from a prep school that sounds just like yours-could be the same one, in fact. They do use Naviance-started using it maybe 5 years ago so it has some validity. The regional readers who look at the applications from these schools are fully aware of the grading system. I can tell you that my kids and their classmates were competitive at the most highly selective schools in the country. If this is the type of school you attend, don’t worry about the college process at this point. Take the most difficult classes you can do well in. Engage in extra curricular activities which you enjoy. It is not necessary to do 10 different things. Pick a few that you really enjoy and focus on them.</p>
<p>My teens attend a top NYC prep school, possibly the one being discussed. Are you saying that a few B+'s do not ruin a student’s chances at a top 25 college, or even a B? Is it tougher for girls? If there are Bs and B+s on the transcript, are the student’s SAT’s supposed to be over 2300?</p>